Jun 10, 2017, 05:40 PM
Time for the playoffs! The time when the top 8 coaches of a division come together to see which of them deserves the right to be called Champion. I really want that title, but there is some stern competition (especially in the blue conference). Up first for my quarter finals battle, I face Alec of the Indianapolis Keldeos. If you remember, he beat me 5-0 the last time I faced him, so better make sure I don't get rekt like that again. Maybe I can even sweep through his team. I have the tools to do so. Let's see what those tools I'm referring to are.
My Team : M-Pinsir, Clefable, Zygarde-50%, Empoleon, Arcanine, Hitmontop, Vanilluxe, Dhelmise, Heliolisk, Jellicent, Malamar
Alec (Indianapolis Keldeos): M-Beedrill, Latios, Marowak-Alola, Swampert, Metagross, Komala, Raichu, Keldeo, Florges, Pangoro, Tangela
![[Image: pinsir-mega.gif]](http://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/pinsir-mega.gif)
Ludwig (Pinsir) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Level: 50
EVs: 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Earthquake
- Quick Attack
If I can find the right opportunity, Mega Pinsir can run through Alec's team with ease. Everything that's faster than Mega Pinsir falls after it gets 2 Swords Dance boosts. Definitely my greatest wincon in the battle. I must preserve it until the correct moment. Return hits bulkier Pokemon very hard and makes for powerful STAB option. Earthquake hits what Return doesn't well. Flying + Ground coverage is one of the best offensive combinations. And defensive really. Looks at Gliscor and Landorus-T. Quick Attack is my priority option for faster threats.
I went with the same EV spread as last time. This simply has enough speed to outspeed Modest Latios by 1 point, which might be relevant. It's invested as much in Attack as I could for the damage output. Every little bit counts. And the rest was dumped into HP, keeping in mind that I wanted it to be able to come in on Stealth Rock three times if necessary. Which means an odd HP number is in order.
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
![[Image: zygarde.gif]](http://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/zygarde.gif)
Oryx (Zygarde) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Aura Break
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Atk / 36 Def / 76 SpD / 36 Spe
Impish Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Another reused EV spread, but with some modifications to the set. Most notably, Dragon Dance and the Weakness Policy. Because Florges did such a good job walling this thing last battle, I figured I would use it's power against him in this match. I knew I could easily take a Moonblast from full. If he brought Alolan Marowak and used that as his go-to again, I would expect this and go for a Dragon Dance. Or if it switches in after something of his has dropped, I would still Dragon Dance in it's face because then I would have no trouble breaking it at +3. And if I had +2, could outspeed the majority of things he has to combat that. Of course, this time I have to watch out for Tangela, which I'm pretty sure he will bring. It walls Zygarde pretty good, even with boosts. So I would like to make sure to take that down quickly if possible. I think I've already basically gone over the moveset, so I don't think I need to explain why I chose each individual move to you this time.
Just as a reminder from my last report against Alec, Alolan Marowak's Shadow Bone is a 3HKO meaning that (without defense drops) I can stall it out and heal off the damage with Rest. As well as other physical attackers lacking the proper coverage to break this Pokemon. After one Dragon Dance, this set has enough speed to outspeed non-Scarf Latios by 1 point, which in turn means that it outspeeds non-Scarf Keldeo too (which is also a big threat with access to Icy Wind).
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
![[Image: dhelmise.gif]](http://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/dhelmise.gif)
Rupert (Dhelmise) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Steelworker
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Atk / 148 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Power Whip
- Shadow Claw
- Anchor Shot
- Earthquake
A great defensive pivot and all-out attacker, I feel like Dhelmise could be pretty good in this matchup. It has Power Whip to hit Swampert and Keldeo for some big damage. Shadow Claw for Latios and Metagross. Anchor to trap, as well as hit Florges very hard. And Earthquake is good against most things. His team is pretty grounded, barring Latios. And only Tangela can take it well. With triple STAB coverage like Dhelmise does, I don't know what Alec could hope to switch into this Pokemon. Dhelmise also gets relatively free switch ins on Tangela because it is immune to it's powder moves like Sleep Powder, and Leech Seed. The only thing I really fear from it is Knock Off, which hurts and also takes away from Dhelmise's special tanking capability.
I actually considered Assault Vest Heliolisk for this spot first because it has been such a good tank for me and takes on Raichu pretty good, but realized that Dhelmise just does it better in every way in this matchup. It can't pivot like Heliolisk can with it's U-turn or Volt Switch, but it can stop switches with Anchor Shot. I invested pretty heavily into bulk, even taking Latios out of range of dependably being OHKO'd by Shadow Claw. The main thing I had in mind was surviving Choice Specs Keldeo's Icy Wind, which it can survive 3 of. That's pretty good. It also takes Raichu's Hidden Power Ice really well, which I kinda had trouble with last time.
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
![[Image: clefable.gif]](http://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/clefable.gif)
Tatl (Clefable) @ Kebia Berry
Ability: Unaware
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 108 SpA / 148 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Wish
- Protect
My Clefable this time around is a little more offensive oriented, rather than completely defensive. I wanted to bait Mega Beedrill this time around by staying in and OHKO'ing it with Psyshock, while Clefable takes Poison Jab due to it's Kebia Berry. Last end game against Alec, I didn't really have anything to touch it with. Just Moonblast. But of course, Moonblast is still good against a lot of his good Pokemon, like Keldeo and Latios. Wish and Protect work together to keep Clefable healthy, to heal up teammates, and/or to scout what opponent wants to do.
For the most part, I wanted this set to take hits well on the physically defensive side, since it can wall special attackers better. With max HP, this Clefable can live a Choice Band Gunk Shot from Pangoro and a Poison Jab from Mega Beedrill comfortably enough, so I didn't bother investing in Defense. 108 Special Attack with a Modest nature allows Clefable to dependably OHKO your standard Mega Beedrill with Psyshock. And I just dumped the rest into Special Defense for the reason I mentioned before. No big Poison or Steel attacks I was worried about from the special side of Alec's team.
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
![[Image: jellicent.gif]](http://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/jellicent.gif)
Squishy (Jellicent) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Cursed Body
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Def / 188 SpA / 44 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Trick Room
- Dazzling Gleam
- Shadow Ball
- Recover
A tanky Jellicent with some offensive capability. This set's main intention is help me which defensively into certain Pokemon on Alec's team. Jellicent can do a better job in some cases than Clefable. It also has Trick Room potential because so many threats on Alec's team are pretty fast, and it can help set up slower members of my team to plow through, like Dhelmise. Dazzling Gleam gives me a really good option for damaging Pangoro, as well as Keldeo. Shadow Ball hits things like Alolan Marowak and Latios. And Recover keeps Jellicent around to take more hits. It has such good defensive typing that it can wall so many strong Pokemon.
I knew I wanted to be able to stall out Keldeo, thus Hidden Power Electric from the Choice Specs varient is a 3HKO. That means I can just Recover on it and stall them out. I also wanted to make sure that Pangoro went down rather easily, because it can be a bit of a nuisance with it's typing and movepool. As well as the fearsome Z Snatch set which gives it +2 Speed. Also stuck a Colbur Berry on Jellicent to make sure it survives a possible Banded Knock Off. The rest of the EVs went into Speed to get the upper-hand on something slower.
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
![[Image: empoleon.gif]](http://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/empoleon.gif)
Neptune (Empoleon) @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Torrent
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 100 Def / 20 SpA / 4 SpD / 140 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Scald
- Defog
Empoleon is my hazard setter and hazard control for this match. It helps defensively with being able to take attacks or attack combinations that the other teammates do not want to. Like from Beedrill and Latios. It dual walls both of their STAB attacks. Roar helps phaze out setup like Calm Mind Florges. and Scald helps deal with Alolan Marowak.
On the physically defensive side, Empoleon has a good chance to survive a Flare Blitz from Alolan Marowak, and eat hits from Mega Beedrill. On the specially defensive side, it takes moves from Latios with no problem. With Wacan Berry, I would have nothing to fear if I wanted to just lead and get Stealth Rock up with Empoleon. Raichu's Electric type attacks would not be able to OHKO. And I would not be pressure to switch, while he Volt Switches with Raichu and gets back his momentum. This set is also fast enough to outspeed Adamant Alolan Marowak. So I can just get the Scald off before it can hit me with a really powerful attack, potentially KOing it.
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
Here is the battle code: BL6G-WWWW-WWW7-BWA2
Playoffs Round 1: Toronto Maple Leafeons (Tommy) .vs. Indianapolis Keldeos (Alec)
Team Bruno brought: Mega Beedrill, Swampert, Keldeo, Latios, Florges, Tangela
*Don't read the next spoiler or below unless you want to know the outcome or what I was thinking during the match.*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm using the numbers on the bottem of the screen during the battle's progression. The turn the first two Pokemon enter is more like a Turn 0 if you will. But in the replay's case, it's Turn 1.
Good game @Slec ! I was quite upset about the early game freeze on Dhelmise, the one Pokemon I didn't want to get frozen. But I definitely could've played things better. You played safely and did a fine job in team prep. I should've expected the Coba Berry on Keldeo considering I used THREE damage-reducing berries this week. And you didn't have Raichu like you did last time to take Quick Attacks from Mega Pinsir. I even had in my notes that I basically outright win at +4 Attack on Mega Pinsir, but I ignored them. And to be honest, deserve to suffer for it. I probably put the most effort into my notes than anyone else in the PFA at the moment. Some people don't even have notes. They have a team list, and highlight a few mons they figure their opponent will bring. Another mistake was not conserving my Pokemon better. I could've probably risked Mega Beedrill on Clefable, as long as I kept Moonblasting and Wishing. And Swampert going down certainly wouldn't have been a bad thing for me. As much trouble as it caused. Good luck on your playoff run! I hope I got beat by the future champion OpieOP Tangrowth vs Tangela team next week. Should be fun to watch.
So yea, sacking Dhelmise and Clefable in the ways I did helped make it a safer game for Alec. I should've even had Dhelmise come in later on a predicted Scald from Swampert or maybe Keldeo (I don't know if Keldeo had Scald). And my season ends with an 0-3. It's been a crazy time overall. I've had some fun, I've felt some pain. I still love how my team turned out, even if I couldn't bring it the success it deserved. I got to use some interesting movesets that I never tried before, and some Pokemon that I never did either. I thank you for following me on my journey. Maybe next season I can snag it. I did so much better this year than the last. I learned a lot about teambuilding. The preparation that goes into a team to make it successful. I would strongly recommend league format to anyone struggling with teambuilding against the meta. I had big issues with that. I was always second-guessing myself because I'd notice that one Pokemon would give my team issue. And end up just scrapping the team. But I feel more confident now. Maybe with some practice, I can call myself a lord. I think I might take a break from Pokemon for a bit though. It can be a little too much at times and you can easily burn yourself out with playing more than you want to.
I know my thoughts aren't the most organized, but I still hope you enjoyed all of what I had to offer you. I will be continuing my reports until the season is over. However, I will be doing it as an outsider looking in. I can't speak for what my opponents do unless they tell me. I can only assume through my knowledge of the game. Turn by Turn Analysis will be given a rest. I will simply critique my fellow coaches. Comment on how I think they did, how they could've improved their play, their preparation going into the match, and more. Stay tuned for the semifinals of the Pokemon Forever Association. I'm Tommy AKA AbruptFury. Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafeons, signing off.
☠️ THE LOSER OF THIS MATCH WILL BE ELIMINATED FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP RUN! ☠️
The Team Line-ups
My Team : M-Pinsir, Clefable, Zygarde-50%, Empoleon, Arcanine, Hitmontop, Vanilluxe, Dhelmise, Heliolisk, Jellicent, Malamar
Alec (Indianapolis Keldeos): M-Beedrill, Latios, Marowak-Alola, Swampert, Metagross, Komala, Raichu, Keldeo, Florges, Pangoro, Tangela
Ludwig (Pinsir) @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Level: 50
EVs: 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Earthquake
- Quick Attack
If I can find the right opportunity, Mega Pinsir can run through Alec's team with ease. Everything that's faster than Mega Pinsir falls after it gets 2 Swords Dance boosts. Definitely my greatest wincon in the battle. I must preserve it until the correct moment. Return hits bulkier Pokemon very hard and makes for powerful STAB option. Earthquake hits what Return doesn't well. Flying + Ground coverage is one of the best offensive combinations. And defensive really. Looks at Gliscor and Landorus-T. Quick Attack is my priority option for faster threats.
I went with the same EV spread as last time. This simply has enough speed to outspeed Modest Latios by 1 point, which might be relevant. It's invested as much in Attack as I could for the damage output. Every little bit counts. And the rest was dumped into HP, keeping in mind that I wanted it to be able to come in on Stealth Rock three times if necessary. Which means an odd HP number is in order.
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
Oryx (Zygarde) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Aura Break
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Atk / 36 Def / 76 SpD / 36 Spe
Impish Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Another reused EV spread, but with some modifications to the set. Most notably, Dragon Dance and the Weakness Policy. Because Florges did such a good job walling this thing last battle, I figured I would use it's power against him in this match. I knew I could easily take a Moonblast from full. If he brought Alolan Marowak and used that as his go-to again, I would expect this and go for a Dragon Dance. Or if it switches in after something of his has dropped, I would still Dragon Dance in it's face because then I would have no trouble breaking it at +3. And if I had +2, could outspeed the majority of things he has to combat that. Of course, this time I have to watch out for Tangela, which I'm pretty sure he will bring. It walls Zygarde pretty good, even with boosts. So I would like to make sure to take that down quickly if possible. I think I've already basically gone over the moveset, so I don't think I need to explain why I chose each individual move to you this time.
Just as a reminder from my last report against Alec, Alolan Marowak's Shadow Bone is a 3HKO meaning that (without defense drops) I can stall it out and heal off the damage with Rest. As well as other physical attackers lacking the proper coverage to break this Pokemon. After one Dragon Dance, this set has enough speed to outspeed non-Scarf Latios by 1 point, which in turn means that it outspeeds non-Scarf Keldeo too (which is also a big threat with access to Icy Wind).
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
Rupert (Dhelmise) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Steelworker
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Atk / 148 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Power Whip
- Shadow Claw
- Anchor Shot
- Earthquake
A great defensive pivot and all-out attacker, I feel like Dhelmise could be pretty good in this matchup. It has Power Whip to hit Swampert and Keldeo for some big damage. Shadow Claw for Latios and Metagross. Anchor to trap, as well as hit Florges very hard. And Earthquake is good against most things. His team is pretty grounded, barring Latios. And only Tangela can take it well. With triple STAB coverage like Dhelmise does, I don't know what Alec could hope to switch into this Pokemon. Dhelmise also gets relatively free switch ins on Tangela because it is immune to it's powder moves like Sleep Powder, and Leech Seed. The only thing I really fear from it is Knock Off, which hurts and also takes away from Dhelmise's special tanking capability.
I actually considered Assault Vest Heliolisk for this spot first because it has been such a good tank for me and takes on Raichu pretty good, but realized that Dhelmise just does it better in every way in this matchup. It can't pivot like Heliolisk can with it's U-turn or Volt Switch, but it can stop switches with Anchor Shot. I invested pretty heavily into bulk, even taking Latios out of range of dependably being OHKO'd by Shadow Claw. The main thing I had in mind was surviving Choice Specs Keldeo's Icy Wind, which it can survive 3 of. That's pretty good. It also takes Raichu's Hidden Power Ice really well, which I kinda had trouble with last time.
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
Tatl (Clefable) @ Kebia Berry
Ability: Unaware
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 108 SpA / 148 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Wish
- Protect
My Clefable this time around is a little more offensive oriented, rather than completely defensive. I wanted to bait Mega Beedrill this time around by staying in and OHKO'ing it with Psyshock, while Clefable takes Poison Jab due to it's Kebia Berry. Last end game against Alec, I didn't really have anything to touch it with. Just Moonblast. But of course, Moonblast is still good against a lot of his good Pokemon, like Keldeo and Latios. Wish and Protect work together to keep Clefable healthy, to heal up teammates, and/or to scout what opponent wants to do.
For the most part, I wanted this set to take hits well on the physically defensive side, since it can wall special attackers better. With max HP, this Clefable can live a Choice Band Gunk Shot from Pangoro and a Poison Jab from Mega Beedrill comfortably enough, so I didn't bother investing in Defense. 108 Special Attack with a Modest nature allows Clefable to dependably OHKO your standard Mega Beedrill with Psyshock. And I just dumped the rest into Special Defense for the reason I mentioned before. No big Poison or Steel attacks I was worried about from the special side of Alec's team.
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
Squishy (Jellicent) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Cursed Body
Level: 50
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Def / 188 SpA / 44 SpD / 36 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Trick Room
- Dazzling Gleam
- Shadow Ball
- Recover
A tanky Jellicent with some offensive capability. This set's main intention is help me which defensively into certain Pokemon on Alec's team. Jellicent can do a better job in some cases than Clefable. It also has Trick Room potential because so many threats on Alec's team are pretty fast, and it can help set up slower members of my team to plow through, like Dhelmise. Dazzling Gleam gives me a really good option for damaging Pangoro, as well as Keldeo. Shadow Ball hits things like Alolan Marowak and Latios. And Recover keeps Jellicent around to take more hits. It has such good defensive typing that it can wall so many strong Pokemon.
I knew I wanted to be able to stall out Keldeo, thus Hidden Power Electric from the Choice Specs varient is a 3HKO. That means I can just Recover on it and stall them out. I also wanted to make sure that Pangoro went down rather easily, because it can be a bit of a nuisance with it's typing and movepool. As well as the fearsome Z Snatch set which gives it +2 Speed. Also stuck a Colbur Berry on Jellicent to make sure it survives a possible Banded Knock Off. The rest of the EVs went into Speed to get the upper-hand on something slower.
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
Neptune (Empoleon) @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Torrent
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 100 Def / 20 SpA / 4 SpD / 140 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
- Scald
- Defog
Empoleon is my hazard setter and hazard control for this match. It helps defensively with being able to take attacks or attack combinations that the other teammates do not want to. Like from Beedrill and Latios. It dual walls both of their STAB attacks. Roar helps phaze out setup like Calm Mind Florges. and Scald helps deal with Alolan Marowak.
On the physically defensive side, Empoleon has a good chance to survive a Flare Blitz from Alolan Marowak, and eat hits from Mega Beedrill. On the specially defensive side, it takes moves from Latios with no problem. With Wacan Berry, I would have nothing to fear if I wanted to just lead and get Stealth Rock up with Empoleon. Raichu's Electric type attacks would not be able to OHKO. And I would not be pressure to switch, while he Volt Switches with Raichu and gets back his momentum. This set is also fast enough to outspeed Adamant Alolan Marowak. So I can just get the Scald off before it can hit me with a really powerful attack, potentially KOing it.
Offensive Calcs:
Defensive Calcs:
The Aftermath
Here is the battle code: BL6G-WWWW-WWW7-BWA2
Playoffs Round 1: Toronto Maple Leafeons (Tommy) .vs. Indianapolis Keldeos (Alec)
Team Bruno brought: Mega Beedrill, Swampert, Keldeo, Latios, Florges, Tangela
*Don't read the next spoiler or below unless you want to know the outcome or what I was thinking during the match.*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turn by Turn Analysis
I'm using the numbers on the bottem of the screen during the battle's progression. The turn the first two Pokemon enter is more like a Turn 0 if you will. But in the replay's case, it's Turn 1.
In Conclusion
Good game @Slec ! I was quite upset about the early game freeze on Dhelmise, the one Pokemon I didn't want to get frozen. But I definitely could've played things better. You played safely and did a fine job in team prep. I should've expected the Coba Berry on Keldeo considering I used THREE damage-reducing berries this week. And you didn't have Raichu like you did last time to take Quick Attacks from Mega Pinsir. I even had in my notes that I basically outright win at +4 Attack on Mega Pinsir, but I ignored them. And to be honest, deserve to suffer for it. I probably put the most effort into my notes than anyone else in the PFA at the moment. Some people don't even have notes. They have a team list, and highlight a few mons they figure their opponent will bring. Another mistake was not conserving my Pokemon better. I could've probably risked Mega Beedrill on Clefable, as long as I kept Moonblasting and Wishing. And Swampert going down certainly wouldn't have been a bad thing for me. As much trouble as it caused. Good luck on your playoff run! I hope I got beat by the future champion OpieOP Tangrowth vs Tangela team next week. Should be fun to watch.
So yea, sacking Dhelmise and Clefable in the ways I did helped make it a safer game for Alec. I should've even had Dhelmise come in later on a predicted Scald from Swampert or maybe Keldeo (I don't know if Keldeo had Scald). And my season ends with an 0-3. It's been a crazy time overall. I've had some fun, I've felt some pain. I still love how my team turned out, even if I couldn't bring it the success it deserved. I got to use some interesting movesets that I never tried before, and some Pokemon that I never did either. I thank you for following me on my journey. Maybe next season I can snag it. I did so much better this year than the last. I learned a lot about teambuilding. The preparation that goes into a team to make it successful. I would strongly recommend league format to anyone struggling with teambuilding against the meta. I had big issues with that. I was always second-guessing myself because I'd notice that one Pokemon would give my team issue. And end up just scrapping the team. But I feel more confident now. Maybe with some practice, I can call myself a lord. I think I might take a break from Pokemon for a bit though. It can be a little too much at times and you can easily burn yourself out with playing more than you want to.
I know my thoughts aren't the most organized, but I still hope you enjoyed all of what I had to offer you. I will be continuing my reports until the season is over. However, I will be doing it as an outsider looking in. I can't speak for what my opponents do unless they tell me. I can only assume through my knowledge of the game. Turn by Turn Analysis will be given a rest. I will simply critique my fellow coaches. Comment on how I think they did, how they could've improved their play, their preparation going into the match, and more. Stay tuned for the semifinals of the Pokemon Forever Association. I'm Tommy AKA AbruptFury. Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafeons, signing off.
